By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Kagiso Rabada and Marco Jansen has helped South Africa dominate the opening session on the first day of the ICC World Test Championship final against Australia at Lord’s.
Rabada led the attack with a magnificent opening spell of accurate and hostile fast bowling for an analysis of 6-4-9-2 while fellow opening bowler, Marco Jansen (7.2-1-27-2) claimed the other two wickets with both men benefitting from some brilliant catching.
Lungi Ngidi (4-0-19-0) was too wide to challenge the batsmen whereas Wiaan Mulder was quite the opposite conceding just six runs from six overs (6-3-6-0) bowling a tight wicket-to-wicket line and gaining a modicum of swing.
Opener Usman Khawaja was the first to depart for a shotless 20-ball duck when an outside edge flew at high speed to David Bedingham at first slip and his replacement, Cameron Green (4), edged Rabada three balls later to second slip where Aiden Markram held a low screamer to his right.
Marnus Labuschagne, promoted to open the batting, scratched his way unconvincingly to 17 from 56 balls before pushing at a widish ball from Jansen and edging to ‘keeper Kyle Verreynne to leave the Australians tottering at 46-3.
Steve Smith helped his side gain the ascendancy and Beau Webster and Alex Carey contiuned to score at will, until Rabada and Jansen once again combined to put South Africa in the box seat.
Australia, boasting one of the greatest bowling attacks of the modern era, is competing to become the first nation to win consecutive World Test Championship titles, while the Proteas will be desperate to lift their first major trophy since the 1998 ICC Knockout, a 27-year drought headlined by plenty of World Cup heartbreak.
South Africa topped the World Test Championship standings with eight victories in 12 matches, including seven wins in a row ahead of this week’s marquee fixture.
South Africa: Temba Bavuma (capt), Aiden Markram, Ryan Rickelton, Wiaan Mulder, Tristan Stubbs, David Bedingham, Kyle Verreynne (wk), Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Kagiso Rabada, Lungi Ngidi.
Australia: Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (capt), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood.